Review
these reading strategies before diving into the slideshow
with students. Select those that fit with your teaching goals and grade
level.

BEFORE
Watching/Reading the Slideshow

Listening/Thinking
Critically: Play the sound clip on the first page before
reading the text with students. Have them describe what they hear.
Ask, What do you think is making the sound? Explain that
the two types of sounds are coming from different parts of a hummingbird.
Ask, Can you guess which parts are making the sounds? How did
you decide?

Activate
Prior Knowledge: Create a class KWL chart. The first two
columns should list what students know
and want to know about
how a hummingbird gets the energy it needs to migrate long distances,
hover mid-air, and dash from flower to flower. (After watching the
slideshow, students can fill in what they
learned.)

DURING
the Slideshow

Action
Words (adjectives):
Make a list of words used to describe hummingbirds and their behaviors.
What new words would you use to describe them?

Get
Meaning from Photos: Have students carefully observe Slide
2 before reading the text. Ask, What do you see? What do you
think the hummingbird is about to do? What questions do you have?

Critical
Thinking. Discuss: Why do hummingbirds need to eat
so often? (Hint: They are so small and their metabolic rates
are so high, that they use up food energy very quickly.)

Identify
Author’s Purpose: Why do you think the author
used the words "fuel" and "engine" in the title?
Why does she talk about "gassing up"? How is a hummingbird
like a car?
(Hint: In order to run and function, cars burn [consume] the fuel
gasoline in their engines. Hummingbirds — and people —
consume and burn food energy to power our bodies and keep them healthy.)

Comparisons:
Make a chart listing the possible advantages and disadvantages
of going into a state of torpor.

AFTER
the Slideshow: Extending Learning

Connections
to Self

What
does this story "tell you" about what you need to stay
healthy? (A balance of food types, including protein.)

Write down how often you eat in a day. Then list the types of
food you consume. Do the same for hummingbirds and compare the
lists.

What
causes Ruby-throated hummingbirds to feed up just before they
migrate? (Increasing daylength.) How do you
respond to the same natural event?

Math
(for older students): Calculate how much of one of your
favorite foods you'd have to eat in a day if you burned energy as
fast as hummingbirds do!

*
In-Depth Lessons

Learn
about how hummingbirds also help their partners, the sapsuckers!

Discover
how brainy hummers are when it comes to remembering where to get
the best food!